Miracle of Miracles

Let me get right to the point: Both kids are asleep before 8 PM. Did you hear that? Both kids. Before 8. Have pigs flown? Is there ice in Hades?

This has pretty much never happened in our home and I almost don't know what to do with myself. Scratch that... I know exactly what to do with myself:

• Remove contacts, wash daily grime off face - alone, and moving as slowly as I'd like
• Look my husband in the eye - and linger without being interrupted
• Read in bed - something other than Horton Hears A Who (Girl With a Dragon Tattoo!)
• Sleep - and set the alarm for an interval greater than 8 hours

I've mentioned in previous posts that there is a story to tell about my husband. Let me give you the highlight reel. He does this for recreation: 

Amazing, right? And he was performing this amazing skill a couple of weekends ago and hurt his knee. When I say 'hurt' his knee, what I really mean is he broke and tore the ever-lovin' crap out of it and now is on crutches and requires surgery and some lengthy physical therapy. Ouch. Sweetie, I am so very sorry this happened to you. :(

This event has required our whole family to adjust to a new routine, and while I think we're getting the hang of things, I haven't had 8 hours of nightly sleep for two weeks. I've been lucky to get 6. In this house I don't always get 8 hours, but I can usually squeeze in a few of those nights each week and I really miss that guarantee.

Dear Smiley and Turbo, please sleep through the night. I wish you peaceful dreams of lollipops and gumballs and bouncy balls and trampolines and all the things that would make you want to linger in your beds come morning.

Thank you and good night. My book is waiting.

Report Cards

When your kids go to daycare, you get daily report cards when you pick them up at the end of the day. On some level, this is a huge waste of paper, but the truth is, the info on the paper is quite important to the parents. The hippie in me just wishes they could transmit electronically, ya know?

For example, when you have an infant, you need to know what they ate and when they last ate. You also need to know if they napped and how well they slept. All of this info is valuable if you're going to be potentially stuck in a commute - the last thing you want is a hungry, cranky baby wailing from the back seat. It really messes up your time for listening to NPR.

There are also "Incident Reports." This is what you get when your child has been injured during the day.

Now, please don't worry. The worst that we've ever seen is a scratch or a scrape and an occasional bruise. Pretty good, actually, when you consider kids are running around all day with little biters and hitters whom we are told to call "friends."

Picking up Smiley tonight I saw an "Incident Report" near her sign-out sheet. I didn't worry as I skimmed it. Long story short, she was bitten. But I did think the detailed account of the event was pretty funny. Here it is, exactly as it they wrote it:

Smiley was in the library playing next to another child when that child leaned over and curiously bit her on the back of the neck.

Children were separated, child who bit was talked to while Smiley was comforted, area was cleaned and ice was applied.

My two favorite parts are 1) she was in the library (doesn't that bring hilarious visuals to mind - like a smoking jacket and a pipe?), and b) the biter was talked to (what does one say to a young toddler that they will truly absorb? But thanks for your crime prevention, folks.). The 'curiously bit her' part is actually pretty cute too.

The injury is surprisingly big. It's a dime-sized red welt on the back of her neck. When I saw it, I asked, "Exactly how long did this child's teeth hang on to my baby?"

But it's all good. She's fine. I'm sure it won't be the worst we'll see.